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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area Review

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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

  • Address: U.S. 89, 2 mi west of town, Page, AZ
  • Phone: 928/608-6404
  • www.nps.gov/glca

Fodor's Review:

2 mi west of Page on U.S. 89.

Once you leave the Page business district heading northwest, the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell behind it immediately become visible. This concrete-arch dam—all 5 million cubic feet of it—was completed in September 1963, its power plant an engineering feat that rivaled the Hoover Dam. The dam's crest is 1,560 feet across and rises 710 feet from bedrock and 583 feet above the waters of the Colorado River. When Lake Powell is full, it's 560 feet deep at the dam. The plant generates some 1.3 million kilowatts of electricity when each generator's 40-ton shaft is producing nearly 200,000 horsepower. Power from the dam serves a five-state grid consisting of Colorado, Arizona, Utah, California, and New Mexico and provides energy for some 1.5 million users.

With only 8 inches of annual rainfall, the Lake Powell area enjoys blue skies nearly year-round. Summer temperatures range from the 60s to the 90s. Fall and spring are usually balmy, with daytime temperatures often in the 70s and 80s, but chilly weather can set in. Nights are cool even in the summer, and in winter the risk of a cold spell increases, but all-weather houseboats and tour boats make for year-round cruising.

Boaters and campers should note that regulations require the use of portable toilets on the lake and lakeshore to prevent water pollution.

Just off the highway at the north end of the bridge is the Carl Hayden Visitor Center, where you can learn about the controversial creation of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell and enjoy panoramic views of both. To enter the visitor center, you must go through a metal detector. Absolutely no bags are allowed inside.

  • Cost: $15 per vehicle or $7 per person (entering on foot or by bicycle), good for up to seven days, $16 per week boating fee
  • Open: Visitor Center Memorial Day-Labor Day, daily 8-6; Labor Day-Nov. and Mar.-Memorial Day, daily 8-5; Dec.-Feb., daily 8-4
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